Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Brady Stimpert.
Hi Kathleen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello! I’m originally from the South but spent many years living and working on the East Coast. In addition to being a wife and proud mother of my teenage son, Sawyer, I dedicate my time to Austin arts and culture. Here’s why: Art is transformative. Literally. Research has found that making or engaging with art can positively impact mental and physical health, even down to the cellular level. I have always intuitively understood this, finding art to be a source of inspiration and comfort, and a universal language for opening hearts and minds.
For those reasons, I’ve spent my career serving cultural institutions. I started in New York, first in galleries selling contemporary and secondary market artworks, and later = as communications director for the National Academy, one of the country’s oldest museums. I moved to Austin (for the second time!) in 2005, and held positions with the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division and The Blanton Museum of Art. Since 2019, I’ve served as Deputy Director of Landmarks, UT’s public art program.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After graduating college with a degree in Art History, I moved to Austin. At that time (1996), the arts community was miniscule. The Austin Museum of Art (which later morphed into The Contemporary Austin) was the biggest game in town, and there were only a handful of galleries. I was unable to find work in my field, and it was very frustrating to love my city but not be able to support myself living there. Ultimately, I decided to move to New York. New York is amazing, for all the reasons your readers understand, but it is also a very difficult place to live–especially as a young person working in the arts. I was always broke, the weather was sometimes unbearable, and the frenetic pace of life often wore me down. But my experiences living and working there are among the best memories of my life. When I returned to Austin in 2005, I was thrilled to find that it had become more mature, artistically, and there were many more opportunities to work in the arts. Today, we have a terrific and very dynamic scene.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I feel lucky to be able to share Landmarks’ celebrated public art collection with campus and the greater community. And I’m proud of the contributions I’ve been able to make to Austin’s cultural evolution, collaborating with others on projects that have expanded the city’s understanding and appreciation of the arts. I’ve also been privileged to serve on the advisory boards and committees of KMFA (Austin’s classical radio station) and The Trail Conservancy.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’m a political junkie so some of my favorite podcasts include The Ezra Klein show and the New Yorker’s Radio Hour. I also love podcasts such as Think and Fresh Air.
I prefer books and magazines in hardcopy and subscribe to Vanity Fair and Nautilus. I also read several art magazines and blogs each month.
Growing up, one of the most influential books on me was Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet.” I’m also crazy about Southern writers, including Flannery O’Connor and John Kennedy Toole.
Contact Info:
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- Website: https://www.landmarksut.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenbradystimpert/
- Other: https://landmarksut.org
Image Credits
Image of Kathleen Brady Stimpert by Chelsea Berchon. All images of artwork from the Landmarks collection are courtesy Paul Bardagjy.
